Regrets, Reflections, and Wishes
by Nine Labeled Keys
Summary: Various characters from all the books, thinking about things they wish they had done differently or realized earlier. Why? Because everyone has a conscience, everyone deserves a second chance, and sometimes regrets are the worst punishment.
1. Peter, the Slytherdor

A/N: Please review, I know this is different than what I usually read/ write, but I hope It'll work out!

Also, Slytherdor, as in should've been in slytherin but was a Griffindor...

I apologize for any misspellings!

Regrets, Reflections and Wishes

**Remus L's POV**

The rumors are true. Everything you've ever heard, I can tell you it's true.

Peter was a close friend.

Peter rode our tails in academics, (well, Sirius and James rode mine also, except in DADA and Transfiguration) fame and pranks.

The other two taught him how to become an amangus.

Yes, it took him a month longer than the other two.

Yes, he became a rat. In fact, none of us were especially surprised, because he sort of did look like one.

Yes, he came with us every full moon.

Confusingly, yes, he was a Gryffindor. However, I'd be at a loss as to why. Should have been in Slytherin.

No, he was never really up to the Marauder standards, if I do say so, myself.

Yes, he betrayed us to Voldemort.

What else has been said? What hasn't is this…

It's the worst part.

We never suspected anything. A person's soul was supposed to come out in an animal for your amangus, and we never suspected a thing.

After James and Lily died, Peter supposedly died, and Sirius was in Azkaban, I thought I'd lost all my friends.

Only when Sirius broke out of Azkaban and I saw the map in Harry's third year, with Peter's name on it I realized everything… and I began to blame myself for it all.

How could I ever have thought Sirius would betray James and Lily?

A million other things, too, but the worst was so cruel.

How could I have never realized? All the clues were there. He was a rat, he never did really fit with us, and he always rode our tails and did whatever we told him. There was even the fact that 7th year, he started disappearing for hours on end and no one knew where he was.

I guess it was the Gryffindor pride in me. I never caught on because I was too wrapped up in the kindness of my friends to become amangus's, and the naivety of Gryffindor's good legacy.

When Nymphadora Tonks told me she loved me, I lied. I told her that I was too poor, too dangerous and too old for her. While those things were true, that was not the real reason I turned her away.

It was because I knew that while I was beating myself up over not realizing Peter was, quite literally and figuratively, a rat, I could never love someone.

She knew I didn't really care about my age, my wealth or my werewolf disposition, really, though they weren't helpful.

She always came at me, and somehow, after all the late-night parties she and Sirius threw, she started braking down all my defenses.

When Sirius died, I was over come with grief.

But at the same time, I was relieved.

Because when Sirius died, I realized not everything is my fault.

I realized what happened is the past, and there's no point in agonizing over mistakes.

When I started living in the present, with myself and by default, Tonks, for she was always _somewhere_ nearby, I started to fall in love.

Pretty soon, my love overcame the other pathetic excuses I'd had to put her off, and I became victim of emotions. For me, it was never really a problem that I was too old if she didn't care. It was never a problem that I couldn't support her, because she made enough for both of us and she didn't care. It was never a problem that I was too dangerous, because if she didn't care that I was gone for one day a month, it was only one day a month anyway.

Now, as I watch her sleep and hear Teddy's breaths beside her's, I am at peace with the memories.

Peter's fear will be the death of him.

Hanging with Voldemort never served anyone well…


	2. The day by the beech tree

THE DAY BY THE BEECH TREE

**Severus S.'S POV**

Everyone thinks James Potter hung me by my ankles in third year for a laugh.

That would be a lie.

He did it because of one word.

Mudblood.

I had walked past him and his posse, sneered and laughed at his choice of friends.

"_People expect better of purebloods, Potter. Hanging with blood traitors and mudbloods; tut, tut." _

He was defensive of his friends, as anyone with friends would be. Or, at least I suppose.

That's why he hung me by my ankles.

Of course, my sweet Lily knew none of this.

She came up to defend me, and all I meant was to tell her not to get involved.

I blame it on my traitorous mouth.

"_GO AWAY!" _

"_I am just trying to help, Sev!"_

"_I DON'T need help from mudbloods!" _

Later, she shunned me, and when I tried to apologize… that was worse.

"_Lily, please!" _

"_No, Severus. I only came out here because Alice said you were threatening to sleep here all night."_

"_I would have…"_

"_Please. Don't expect me to believe any lies you make up about that friendship. Obviously, I wasn't what I thought I was."_

"_No, Lily! You were, it's just-" _

"_Severus, aren't you listening? I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXUSES,"_

"_I- my- my mouth slipped!"_

"_Oh, is THAT what it was?! Your mouth SLIPPED. Of course. Why am I any different? You call all of us mudbloods!"_

"_You ARE different! I-I…" _

"_You, what?!"_

"_lo-"_

"_YOU WHAT? YOU AREN'T ANY MORE THAN WHAT MY FRIENDS SAID. Traitorous scum. In this light, Potter looks like an angel. At least HIS mouth wouldn't have 'SLIPPED'!" _

"_Potter, the arrogant toe rag, is better than me?"_

"_OF COURSE he is! I don't know why I didn't see your true colors before."_

"_But you swore that-"_

"_SWORE WHAT? Does it even matter? I swore that to a different boy. Sev was kind and loyal, and he never would've betrayed me this way. I don't know who you are."_

And with that, my beloved Lily turned with a contemptuous look and a swish of red hair, and walked out of my life forever.

I cried myself to sleep that night, and many others, and the mufflato spell was my friend.

After that, she spared me no second look, no word, kind or mean. She cut off all our connections, switching seats just to be farther away from me in potions. It was as though we never had been friends.

So I watched from afar.

I watched her grow closer to Potter, and grow more beautiful. I watched her fall in love with him, sparing him all the second glances and hugs and kind words I wished I'd gotten.

All because of one word.

Mudblood.


	3. Myrtle, 50 years ago

A/N: sorry this one's short!

Myrtle, 50 years ago

**Moaning Myrtle's POV**

It took little to get me to cry these days, and people would laugh. These were dangerous times we were living in, for Hogwarts was under attack. 19 people petrified and yet no one thankfully yet to die.

People poked fun at me for my braces and my limp brown hair. My clothes were a few sizes too large for my skinny body because they were hand downs. My name, even, was laughed at. _Myrtle._ And they would laugh.

The brilliant yellow orbs that finally caught my eye were the thieves of life, for they stole the candle that was mine and blew it out. As I looked down on my body as I sunk through the roof, at the terrified expression on my face, I thought It was over, on to the next life. But, no, not for _Myrtle. _When I realized I was a ghost, I hoped that I looked different. It was not so.

All I could think when I saw my reflection was, will it really go on forever? Endless laughter. Endless torture. Life was a cruel thing. And the yellow orbs had not stolen my candle, but merely extinguished the flame.


End file.
